Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1887-06-15
A BIG GAME OF POKER.
Gambling Sharks Beaten by the
Bold Bluff of Gov. Poindexter.

l begin running on the Mississippi rivel
f1fty-two years ago.. [ have, of course
seen a great amount Of gambling on the
river, but l never saw any shooting or stab
bling over a game of cards. I have seer
a good many big games. a game lone
talked about on the river was that played
by Gov. George P%oindexter of Mississippi
/ knew him well, but did not see the
game. He wa returning from New
York and had a large sum of money with
him. It was along in autumn, the season
when the Ohio is always very low. He
left Louisville on a small stern-wheel boat
the only kind that could run, as the water
was not over thirty inches deep On the
bars. Three gamblers took passage at
Louisville or the same boat. They knew
Poindexter's fondness for cards, that he
would play high, and they had made up a
plot to clean him out. In those days they
played poker with twenty cards-the ace,
king, queen, jack, and ten of each suit.
The boat was several days in getting from
Louisville to Cairo, and Poindexter and
the three sharks were busy at play. Then
they usually played without limit, and the
result was, the gamblers, having played
their fish long enough were about to take
him in. They had all their money On the
table. Poindexter had a very poor hand,
and one of the gamblers, of course, had
the winning hand. Two of the gamblers
dropped out, and the other, making a
heavy bet, piled up his last dollar. The
Governor SAID he didn't have money
enough there to call him, but he thought
he might be able to borrow some of a
friend. every WE'LL" said the gamble,
"l'll give you just ten minutes to raise the
money" Poindexder went about trying
to borrow of the passengers, and then
went to the clerk of the boat. The amount
he asked for was nearly as much as the
boat would sell for, and the clerk had no
such sum on hand even to lend to Gov.
The latter then went to his
stateroom, where he had an old carpet
sack with a trusty servant guarding it, and
returning to the gaming table, followed by
the darky witha the carpet sack on his
shoulder. Now" Numbered Poindexter,
as he threw open the sack, which wa
stuffed full of bank notes, II will see you
and go you 100000 better! And I'll
give you an hour instead of ten minutes,
to raise it'll" The faces of those gamblers
would have been a picture fora painter.
They got off the boat at the first landing
place wiser and much sadder men. There
about ten thousand dollars on the
table.
Fifty-one years ago, one night at Nat
chez, | saw four gentlemen playing poker
at which the ante was $500 and they would
go $1,000 blind. One of the players was
a banker, one a merchant and the others
cotton planters. High play quit
about forty years ago. STEAMBOATS, began
to be held liable for losses at poker on
board, and many steamboat captains would
not allow gambling upon their boats at all.
But the Mississippi is a thing of change.
Fifty years ago, when / frs knew Island
No. 10, there was one large plantation and
smaller one on that historic island.
At the time of the rebellion the island had
to six acres, eaten away by the
water, and now it is entirely obliterated.
Indianapolis Journal.